Low-temperature sterilizers typically sterilize articles in a chamber under vacuum conditions. A liquid sterilant is injected into the chamber and vaporizes, surrounds, and penetrates the articles to be sterilized with a vaporized sterilant. Such sterilizers include a vacuum pump for drawing vacuum within the chamber. During the operation of the vacuum pump, oil mist and other debris are withdrawn from the chamber and are exhausted from the outlet port of the vacuum chamber. Heretofore, a complex assembly was provided at the outlet port of the vacuum pump to filter oil and other material from an airstream created by the vacuum pump prior to releasing the airstream to the surrounding environment. A separate filter assembly was provided downstream of the oil mist eliminator to remove odors from the exhausted air.
Such assemblies were not only bulky but were also difficult and expensive to assemble and maintain during the life of the sterilizer.
The present invention overcomes these and other problems and provides a filter assembly for removing oil mist and odor from an airstream, more particularly from the exhaust of a vacuum pump used in a low-temperature sterilizer.